The United Kingdom has four different healthcare systems, including the National Health Service (NHS) England, NHS Wales, NHS Scotland, and Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland). In addition, the UK government sets England’s health budget and gives grants to the other three states under the parliament approval (Tunstall, 2018). However, Saudi Arabia has a universal healthcare system controlled by the Ministry of Health.
Although Saudi Arabia is considered a developing country, its healthcare system is ranked higher compared to other nations but with prospect of improving. The UK system remains the best healthcare compared to other developed countries (Tunstall, 2018). The patients pay for the services received in the UK setup, while the government funds the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia.
The UK healthcare uses technology in various operations, including record keeping and medical procedures. On the contrary, the Saudi Medicare system is characterized by inadequate technology with outdated hardware and software, which lacks centralized communication (Almalki, Fitzgerald, & Clark, 2011). Additionally, Saudi hospitals have not adopted the latest medical equipment in the provision of medical care to their patients.
Nevertheless, in both health structures, it is the role of the government to design and implement healthcare policies. In addition, the highest percentage of funding in both systems comes from the government. The UK medical system ensures that healthcare services are available to citizens, regardless of their social status (Tunstall, 2018). Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, the healthcare services are accessible and free of charge to all people.
Despite being ranked as the best healthcare system, the UK system faces funding challenges. Consequently, the NHS may not sustain the provision of quality care. Therefore, the government should seek new sources of funds, including additional taxation to fund the sector. In Saudi Arabia, the government might not sustain the budget due to the rising population and increasing number of older people (Almalki, Fitzgerald, & Clark, 2011). Hence, the Saudi Arabian government should design an insurance plan for all its citizens and adopt technology to enhance service delivery.
References
Almalki, M., Fitzgerald, G. & Clark, M. (2011). Healthcare system in Saudi Arabia: An overview. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 20(17), 784-793.
Tunstall, L. (2018). The UK healthcare system. Evidence Network. Retrieved from https://evidencenetwork.ca/the-uk-health-care-system/
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